Heather is doing great... she continues to make amazing progress.
Lets turn our attention to Baby Will for a moment... and his next steps after delivery. We are excited to meet our son in person, but we are expecting quite a fight when he arrives. For those who have just started following us, Will has right-side, liver-up CDH. His right lung is severely impacted by the presence of his liver, and his left lung has been impacted by a shifted heart. Luckily, our son has no other illnesses or abnormalities.
When William arrives, he will likely be delivered in critical condition, unable to breathe and in pulmonary distress. He will require immediate medical intervention.... by skilled experts who know how to deal with this problem.
This is the moment... this exact moment... is why Heather and I have uprooted our life and moved 1000 miles North to Philadelphia. CHOP is 1000x more qualified to deal with this condition than our home town of Atlanta.
Let me walk you through the next steps for William, and how CHOP has planned the approach for Will:
See this Window? You may ask... "Why is there a window between two rooms?"... well, this is the magic of CHOP's SDU. Inside this window is a life-saving NICU stabilization room, equipped with the latest equipment dedicated to stabilizing our son. This window is right next to Heather's birthing bed side. At the time of Will's birth, this room will be filled with 15 (yes, fifteen!!) doctors that are part of the CHOP CDH response team. These NICU staffers will be responsible for by-passing Will's problems and preparing him for his corrective surgery, and his three month visit at the CHOP NICU.
We opened the window earlier, and took this picture of Will's lifesaving bed. This bed is already primed and ready for our son. The CHOP CDH team has been in-and-out of this room all day, ensuring it is equiped for Will's specific condition. You can see the incubation technology, medical sensors, the gastric-de-gassing technology, the infant heater, oxygen, vacuums, ECMO on standby, etc. This environment is 100% sterile... and is literally an arm's length of William's birthing place. Once Will is stable, he will be transfered into the formal CHOP NICU, which will be his home for the remainder of his fight.
So... for the rest of the delivery, we will focus on Heather (of course), but we will update the blog on Will's first steps into his personal fight.
Updates soon...
Updates soon...
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3 comments:
Heather and Matt,
I recall so fondly those first few moments before our daughter, Parker arrived. It was the most exciting time of our lives and yet the scariest too. CDH brings so many unknown factors that the rollercoaster ride will vary from moment to moment.
You have all been in our thoughts and prayers. Will has some pretty amazing parents who have given him the best of everything. I admire you both for transplanting yourselves to give Will what he needed at CHOPS.
Remember that each CDH baby is unique and their will to fight is something that constinuously keeps me in awe.
I have been glued to your blog today and cannot get to sleep thinking of the three of you. Please remember God's promise to us in Jerm 29:11.
We are here if you need us. We will continue to lift each of you up in prayer.
Jessica
Heather,
Still praying for you and Will here in Birmingham, AL!
It is not often you see doctors at their finest hour--you will be amazed at the preciseness of the event once you deliver precious Will.
Liz
You all, especially Will, are in my prayers as Will's journey with CDH begins. God Bless
Catherine
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